Clamping device



J. NICHOLS AND E. RYDER.

CLAMPING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED sP T. 3. 1920.

1 ,391,401 Patented Sept 20, 1921.

side members of the UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. NICHOLS,

0F BERWYN, AND ELMER RYDER. 0F ARGO, ILLINOIS- CLAMPING DEVICE I To allwit-0m it may concern:

tively serve the purpose for which is designed and be simple in itsconstruction and action and be inexpensive and easy to manufacture andapply to an axle.

Another object of our invention is to provide a form of clamp which willengage the strap without having any of the parts of the clamp extendingthrough the strap and thus avoid weakening the strap by cutting holes init.

A further object of our invention is to provide a form of clamp whichwill engage the strap in such a manner that the strap may be adjusted totake up or provide slack in the same whenever desired, the clamp beingmerely loosened for that purpose and Without being removed from-theaxle.

Other and further objects of our invention will appear from thefollowing speci- 'fication, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure l is a side View of a shock-absorber such asshown in our prior Patent N 0. 1,334,390 granted March 23, 1920, andshowing the lower end of the strap clamped to the vehicle axle by aclamp of our present invention;

Fig. 2 is in Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken through the axle andclamp on line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the inner and outer plates of theclamp.

In the drawings, 1 indicates one of the frame or chassis of anautomobile, and 2 one of the axles therebelow, such parts beingyieldably connected by a vehicle spring as common in automobileconstruction.

The form of shock-absorber shown is like that disclosed in our saidprior patent and an end view of the parts shown Specification of LettersPatent. Application filed September 3, 1920.

Serial No, 407,956.

includes in its construction canvas belting or other desired materialand looped at its upper drum 4 secured to the frame member 1 above I Theupper end of the strap, as 1S connected with spring 5 and the lower endextends to the axle 2 and is secured thereto by a clamp of our presentinvention.

As shown, the clam comprises two plates 6, having substantially the samelength, but

proper clamping on the strap.

he plates 6, 7 each have two 'bolt holes 10, 10 and 11, 11,respectively, in their upright webs, and the holes are that they are onopposite sides of the strap. These holes register when the plates areplaced in clamping positions on the axle with the strap between them andenable two clamp bolts 12, 12 to be inserted throug Each bolt 12 has ahooked end 13 to engage over that edge of the base web 8 opend of thebolt on tl ib outside of the outer plate 7, as shown. The bolts 12, 12are on opposite sides of the strap and below the base web 8 and do notextend through the strap. This enables the strap to be clamped to theaxle without piercing the strap and thus the. latter is not weakened byhaving bolt holes cut in it.

y having the strap extend between the plates 6, 7 and the bolts on theoutside sides of the strap, the extreme lower end of the strap, asindicated by 15, may be free and thus permit it being grasped and pulledto take up any slack likely to be produced in the strap by stretchingwhen in use, the nuts 14 being first loosened to permit this being done.Or, shouldthe strap work tighter than required, suitable slack may begiven it by loosening the nuts and pulling outward on the portion of thestrap above the clamp. The latter is prevented from dropping ofi" of theaxle when so loosened by the hooks l3 and the inner plate 6 stillretain- Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

positioned so .t with the axle, This provides i i tdjustment of thestrap Without taking oi? the clamp, and enables the strap to be easilyand readily reclamped after adjustment has been made. The bolts 12 aremade long enough to enable the clamp to be applied to axles or membersof various Widths, thus permitting the application of the clamp todifferent makes of motor cars.

While We have shown and described herein our improved clamp used with ashockabsorber of the kind disclosed in our said prior patent, it is tobe of course understood that our clamp' may be readily used with strapsor sl1ock-absorbers of other types, and We do not Wish to be limited tothe particular kind of sheen-absorber shown. Moreover, the details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts of our clamp as shown anddescribed may be variously'changed and modified Without departing fromthe spirit and sec e of our invention.

We 0 aim as our invention: 1. The combination with a strap and a member,of means for clamping the strap to said member, comprising inner andouter plates adapted to receive the strap between them, the inner platehaving a flange to engage over said member, and clampbolts ex tendingthrough said plates on opposite sides of'the strap and having hookedends to engage over that edge of the member oppo site to said plates.

2. The combination With a strap and a member, of means for clamping thestrap to said member, comprising inner and outer separable platesadapted to receive the strap between them, the inner plate being channeishaped to engage over the adjacent edge of said member, the outer platebeing angular and applied against the strap with one of its flangesextending beneath the inner plate, said plates have registering boltholes on opposite sides of the strap, and clamp bolts inserted throughsaid holes and extending beneath said member and having hooked ends toengage over the other edge of said member.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as our invention, We ailix oursignatures this 27 day of August, A. D. 1920.

JAMES C. NICHOLS.

ELMER RYDER.

